More than Memories
by Casteline
Summary: "Feelings are stronger than memories" Stiles told himself. They had taken months worth of his memories. Thankfully, he didn't need to rely on his memories to know the truth. Mainly Sterek and Peter/Lydia, with a side of Scallison


**Note**: As of right now, I've only watched 1.5 episodes of season 3. This crazy brainchild is based off vague spoilers and gifs I've come across on tumblr, as well as a few speculative posts.

* * *

Stiles found the memory card taped on the inside cover of one of his Lovecraft novels. He didn't remember putting it there, but also couldn't think of anyone else who would have done it. Out of something little more than morbid curiosity, he slipped the card into his computer. When the video file opened, he immediately hit play.

At first, there was no one in the frame, just a blank wall and the top of a couch in the background. It felt familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he knew it from. It wasn't his own house, and it was Scott's.

Stiles' own face appeared in the frame.

Wait, what?

He couldn't remember making this video. He should remember that, shouldn't he?

"_What are you doing?" _A voice says from somewhere off screen. A voice that sounded curiously like Derek Hale. What was Stiles doing hanging out with Derek? And why couldn't he remember?

"_They took you away once. If they do it again, I want to know," _Stiles said. He turned to face the camera, to face… himself. "_Hi Stiles. If you're watching this… it means the Alphas have changed your memory. Again._"

The screen went dark for a few seconds, and when it returned, the lighting was different. This part was filmed later in the day.

"_Okay, so here's the deal. I don't know how much you'll remember, so I guess I'll have to start at the beginning. Six months ago – well, six months before I started recording this… I don't know how long ago it was for you. It was just after everything went down with Gerard and Jackson – an Alpha pack arrived in town. They're the ones that took Erica and Boyd. We – Scott, Isaac, Derek, and I… you?_" He paused for a moment, then shook his head. "_Whatever. We, and Peter, too, spent the summer trying to find them. Isaac… he might have found something, but his memories have been changed too, we're not sure what exactly happened._

"_Anyway. Near the end of summer, the Alphas got to us… Me and Scott. And Danny. They took our memories, changed things. They got Isaac a few days later. Think back to the summer, try to remember something, anything specific. You can't. I know you can't, because I can't. I remember flashes, and only sometimes. All I really know is what they told me to remember. Which is pretty much nothing. Spent the summer reading and playing video games. Didn't see Derek or anyone the whole time, only saw Scott a few times._

"_It's not true. You spent the whole summer working with them._

"_And chances are, if you try to remember anything from the past few weeks... maybe even months, you'll have the same sense of vagueness._

"_It'll take too long to explain to you everything that's happened, and everything that will happen, which is why I've been keeping a written record of all that happens. You need to remember. I'm going to leave the journal with Derek. At the end of this video, go to him, he'll fill in the missing spaces. For some reason, they can't affect his memories, probably because he's alpha._

"_Now, a voice in your head is telling you '_don't trust Derek, don't trust Derek_'. I'm telling you to ignore that voice. Your gut is telling you to trust him, to trust me. Listen to your gut, not you head. They programmed you to think you can't trust him, but deep down, you know you can._"

The screen went dark again, and this time, Stiles recognized the background as his own room. The Stiles on the screen looked exhausted now.

"_We don't know exactly what they're up to. We're trying, but it's hard. Everything is in the journals. Read it._

"_One thing we do know is that they're trying to keep us apart. That's why they've changed our memories. They're trying to keep the packs separate, Derek's pack, and Scott's pack. But we have to fight it. We are stronger together, and they know it. That's why you feel like you can't trust Derek and Isaac and Peter, because they don't want you to… Well, you probably can't trust Peter, the jury is still out on that one. But come on, _Isaac_? How could you not trust him."_

There was another break.

"_It's been a while now. Maybe I'll get lucky and they won't take everything this time. Ha. I doubt it. They're just waiting. Until we're comfortable or something._

"_It's been almost two months since we realized what they took. And I still can't remember. I'm trying. But I just can't. So if – when it happens again, it'll probably be the same. I won't remember any of the last two months, or anything else that's going to happen. And I don't think those memories are going to come back._

"_Feelings though… feelings are stronger than memories. Trust them. _"

Stiles estimated that his memories were altered six days ago, that was around the time that everything got fuzzy. He wondered how far back he'd lost. He'd already lost over two months of summer. It was January now. Almost eight months since the Alphas arrived. Some of that was clear as day. But a lot of it was haze.

He briefly wished he'd taken a Tylenol to kill the headache that was starting to form. Or an adderall to help him keep all this new information straight in his head.

When he arrived at Derek's apartment, it felt weird, like he had been there a dozen times before, when he can't actually remember ever having been there. In fact, he wasn't even sure how he knew the way…

Stiles hadn't even had the chance to knock before Derek opened the front door. Right, supernatural senses and whatnot. "What are you doing here?" He looked tired, like he hadn't slept in days.

"I um…" Why was he here? He took a step back. No. He shouldn't be here. He couldn't trust Derek.

He turned to walk away, but Derek had a hand around his wrist.

"Come inside," he said.

_Right_, Stiles thinks. _Trust Derek. Trust your gut, not your head._

He immediately recognized the inside of the apartment from the video. But not from his memories. It was incredibly confusing and frustrating.

"I found the video," he finally said.

Derek nodded. "I thought as much."

Stiles followed Derek into the living room. He lifted up a couch cushion, retrieved a small stack of journals and handed them to Stiles.

"How long?" Stiles asked, noting that there were three journals, two full, and one very nearly.

"What?"

"How much time did they take?"

Derek frowned. "Read the journals."

An hour later, Stiles was sitting on Derek's couch with his legs crossed under him. He had made it through the first journal and started on the second, and while it was all very… enlightening, he couldn't help but feel a little bit scared by it. It was his handwriting, and his words, but he couldn't remember writing them, couldn't remember the things that had happened. It was like reading someone else's personal thoughts, but no, it was his.

_November 27 – Something is going on with Ms. Morrell. She knows more than she's letting on. Scott overheard her talking to Doc Deaton. Will look into it further._

_November 28 – Lydia is getting worse. They did something to her. The Alphas. It has to be them. The doctors can't do anything for her. Even Deaton doesn't know what to think. Peter thinks it's because of her magic or whatever. We still don't know what exactly she is, but she is different, and maybe that's a threat to them._

_November 29 – They got to Danny again. Third time._

Stiles set the book down and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you starting to remember?" Derek asked from the doorway.

Stiles looked up at him, feeling almost as tired as Derek looked. "Have you been standing there this whole time?" Derek shrugged. "When was the last time you slept man? You look pretty bad." He shrugged again. "You really should sleep."

"I'm fine."

Stiles got up and walked over to him. "You need to rest," he said, then placed his hands on Derek's broad shoulders and pushed him towards the couch. "At the very least sit down and close your eyes."

Derek was too tired to argue. He let himself fall to the couch, leaving just enough room for Stiles to sit next to him. "You are starting to remember, aren't you?" he said as Stiles sat and picked up his journal.

"Bits and pieces. Nothing concrete. I'll get there."

Derek made a humming sound as he curled around a pillow and closed his eyes. Within moments, he was asleep.

_November 29 – They got to Danny again. Third time, as far as we know. We don't know what kind of long term affects the brainwashing will have on him, especially since he's human, but we're pretty sure it's not good. Keep an eye on him. He's pack too, even if he doesn't remember. Even if you don't remember._

_Allison told her father about everything today. He's never come across the Alpha pack, just heard whispers. Had always assumed it was a legend or something. He's going to check with some contacts, see if anyone knows anything more._

_I want to tell dad. It just seems so much easier on Scott and Allison, being able to talk to their parents what's happened. But I have no idea how to even start that conversation. And I can't help but think that it will just put him in more danger._

_November 30 – __We think we've tracked down Boyd and Erica. Peter and Derek are looking into it further. __Never mind. It was false information. Again. I'm beginning to worry we'll never find them. We don't even know if they're alive._

_Maybe that's what they made Isaac forget. Maybe he did find them. Dead. And they made him forget so we'd keep searching, distracted, while they do… whatever it is they came here to do._

_December 1 – Scott and Peter got into it again today. I don't even know what started it this time. I know Scott still hates him for turning him, and he has every right to be mad. But I think it's something else. He doesn't trust him. Of course, I don't trust him either, but, unfortunately, we need him. He knows more about wolves, about the Alphas, than anyone._

_December 2 – Chris' contacts have something, but they won't say what over the phone. He and Allison left this morning to meet them somewhere in Nevada._

_Scott tried to talk to Deaton, but wasn't at the office and isn't answering calls. It's a small town though, and it's hard to hide from wolves. I know, I've tried._

Stiles stopped reading and looked over at Derek, who was sleeping soundlessly, and he thinks is probably the most peaceful he's ever seen him.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, so did a flash of memory. It was early in the morning, the sun just rising through his window. Derek was in the bed with him, fast asleep, with his limbs sprawled around Stiles. Stiles had just woken up and he felt…

Happy.

There was no context to the memory, no sense of what led to this moment, or what came after, just that single moment in time.

Stiles reached out to touch Derek's hair. He stirred slightly, causing Stiles to flinch away momentarily. But then Derek nuzzled closer to him, and Stiles thought that 'nuzzled' and 'Derek' didn't belong in the same sentence together, so why they hell did that make so much sense.

He went back to his journal.

_December 13 – Deaton is still missing. Ms. Morrell too. We don't know if the Alphas have them, or if they got out of town before they could get to him. For now, we'll hope for the best, but assume the worst._

_Still no word from the Argents either. We're all getting worried, but of course Scott is freaking out the most. Peter's threatened to lock him up to keep him from going out after them. I think we've managed to convince him that going out and getting captured wouldn't do Allison any good, but no one knows how Scott's brain works, not even me. Peter might have the right idea._

Stiles didn't remember falling asleep, but it was nearly midnight when he woke up, feeling, if possible, more tired than he had been a few hours ago.

"You're awake," Derek said from the doorway. Had he been watching Stiles sleep now?

"So it would seem."

"How are you feeling?"

"Really fraking tired. Could that be a side effect of the lost memories?"

Derek shrugged. He seemed to be doing a lot of that. Not that he was typically a talkative guy.

Stiles rolled into a sitting position and held his head in his hands. He was trying so hard to remember, but all he got was flashes. And it wasn't even useful information, just disjointed memories that he couldn't piece together.

"Allison isn't on vacation in LA, is she?" Stiles asked.

"No."

Stiles nodded, trying to erase that notion from his mind, and replace it with the truth.

Before he really knew what he was doing, he stood up and walked over to Derek. He wrapped his arms around the alpha, burying his face in his chest. He opened his mouth to apologize, but the words never found their way out. Derek didn't even flinch at the contact, instead he immediately wrapped his arms around Stiles.

"This is real, right?" Stiles asked after a few moments of silence. "This isn't something they put in my head, it's real?"

"It's real." Derek buried his face in the crook of Stiles' neck.

Stiles let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. _Feelings are stronger than memories._

He didn't know if it had been just a few moments, or a full year when Derek pulled away from him. "Isaac is here."

A few seconds later, the door opened and Isaac stepped in, not surprisingly already aware that Stiles was there.

"What's _he_ doing here?" he asked, his eyes flaring red.

"Isaac," Derek said, stepping between them.

"Why would you bring him here? You know we can't trust him!"

Stiles reached out to put a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Let me." Derek narrowed his eyes, skeptical that Stiles could alleviate the situation, but eventually stepped aside.

"What are you feeling right now?" Stiles asked, stepping closer to Isaac. Isaac took a step back.

"Like Derek must have completely lost it if he let you in here."

"No. I didn't ask what you're thinking. I want to know what you're _feeling_?"

Isaac just stared at him for a long moment. "Tired. Exhausted, actually." This time, when Stiles took another step closer, he didn't budge.

"Headache, too?" Stiles asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Side effects of the brainwashing."

"The… brainwashing?"

Stiles turned to Derek. "What does he remember?"

"He knows the Alphas are here. That we've been fighting them."

"What are you two talking about? I thought we were trying to keep the Alphas thing just to our pack."

"Stiles is pack," Derek said almost reflexively.

"The Alphas have been manipulating our memory," Stiles said. "They're trying to keep us fighting amongst ourselves. I think… I think every time we get close to something, that's when they start stealing memories."

"Stealing memories." Isaac shook his head. "That makes sense, actually. Everything is all kind of fuzzy. There are things I feel like I should know, but I don't."

"Good. That's good," Stiles said. "Do you trust me?"

"I don't know."

_December 26 – Christmas sucked. Still no news on Chris and Allison. Lydia still comatose. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't think I ever did._

_December 27 – We've been trying to get Danny back to our side, but it's hard when the Alphas have poisoned him against us. From what Derek has told me, he was helping us this summer. He figured out that something was going on, so we had to tell him about werewolves and everything. He wanted to help. The first time they got to him was the middle of the summer. We were able to get him back pretty soon after. I don't think they anticipated that. Which is why they set Ethan on him after they wiped him the second time. We couldn't do anything to stop it then, because we didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. When we finally got through to him last month, they got him again so soon after._

_It makes me wonder if it's really even worth trying to bring him back again. In the long run, he might be worse off. If they wipe his memories again…_

_December 28 – One of the Alpha's was at the station today. Talked to dad. And he didn't have any idea what he was dealing with. I wish I could just tell him. This is driving me crazy. And he knows I'm keeping secrets._

_Isaac and Derek got close to something tonight. We still don't know what. But we're getting close. I wonder if we're close enough that they'll take our memories again._

_At least if they do, they can't take Derek's. At least he'll remember. Then he can help the rest of us realize what we've lost._

_Except that he won't. Because he's so convinced that he can handle everything on his own, that there's no need to endanger the rest of us. If we forget again, he'll just go off and try to take down the whole Alpha pack by himself. The problem is, we all care about him too._

_They can't take that away._

Isaac walked out of his room to find Stiles sitting on the couch, reading from his journals, while Derek lay sleeping, with his head in Stiles' lap.

"How are you feeling?" Stiles asked, looking up from his book.

"Can't sleep. My head is still telling me that you shouldn't be here."

"Remember what I said?"

"'Don't think with your head, think with your heart.' It's among the top three corniest things you've ever said."

Stiles grinned. "Do you want some tea or something?"

Isaac shrugged.

"Well, I want tea." Stiles carefully moved Derek's head off of him and made his way into the kitchen.

He was still thoroughly disoriented by the fact that he was able to find everything he needed in the kitchen, including a box of his favorite herbal tea. He didn't remember where anything way, he just _knew_ and it was the strangest feeling.

When Stiles hands him his mug, Isaac holds it tightly in both hands and takes a deep breath, getting lost in the scent of cinnamon. "You feel like we've done this before?"

"Yeah."

"It's weird, right? Not remembering."

"Really weird."

_January 1 – New year. Maybe this one will be better._

_January 2 – So far, no change._

_January 3 – Danny was asking a bunch of weird questions today. I don't know if he's starting to suspect that something weird is going on, or if the Alphas are using him to get information from us._

_January 4 – Scott is missing. I think he's finally had enough and gone to look for Allison. Peter thinks it's probably worse than that. Derek acts like everything is okay, but I can tell he's scared._

It was a little after midnight when Derek woke up. The apartment smelled like cinnamon and almond. Stiles and Isaac were on the floor next to the couch, having fallen asleep reading the journals. Derek felt almost happy at the sight. They had been sitting next to each other, drinking tea, when they'd finally drifted off. That meant they were making progress on the trust front. His little fractured pack was starting to mend.

A phone began ringing. He reached over to shake Stiles awake when it became apparent that the ringing of his own phone was not enough to wake him.

"Whaa?" he grumbled, blinking. Then it seemed to register in his mind that it was late, and his phone was ringing. "Shit my dad." He fumbled through his pockets, almost dropping the phone when he finally retrieved it. "Hey dad," he said, wincing in anticipation. "I'm sorry, I totally lost track of time. I'll be home in ten minutes… Yep… Ten minutes, I swear…. I love you, too." He hung up, then tugged at his hair with a groan. He buried his face in his hand. "I think I have to tell him what's going on." His decision was met with silence, so he looked up to find both wolves staring at him, both completely void of any emotion that might be considered useful. "So which one of you wants to be there with me to help convince him that I'm not insane."

Isaac and Derek looked at one another, neither wanting to volunteer.

"Look, neither of you is the optimal choice, seeing as you were both suspects in murder investigations, and I'm pretty sure my dad isn't terribly fond of either of you, but Scott isn't really an option right now. It'll take too long to get him un-brainwashed to be useful right now."

"I thought we agreed you were going to stop using that word," Derek said.

"I may have been present for that conversation, but seeing as I don't remember it, I will not be held accountable," he said, knowing full well from his journals that Derek thoroughly hated the word 'brainwashed', even though that's exactly what it was.

When he climbed into bed that night, he added to the first empty page of the third journal.

_January 25 – Memories were wiped January 19. Found message to self yesterday. Started reading journals today. Managed to mostly deactivate emotional biases implanted by the Alphas in both myself and Isaac. I'm exhausted, and I don't anticipate things getting better any time soon._

_Told dad everything. Everything I can remember anyway. Isaac transformed for him. I don't know if this is better, or safer, but at least I don't have to keep hiding things from him. At least I don't have to keep him in the dark._

When he woke the next morning, the house smelled of bacon and pancakes. He looked at his clock. January 26. That couldn't possibly be right. He felt like it had been weeks since he discovered that his memories had been manipulated. But no, it had really only been less than two days.

Maybe it was just because of the discovery that months of his memory had been taken, and all the reading and trying to remember had made it feel like all that time had passed again.

Memory loss was frustrating and exhausting. He curled back under his blanket to go back to sleep.

The smell of the stove heating up jarred him from his desire for rest. Right, today was Sunday. Dad didn't need to be at work until the afternoon, which meant breakfast. He hopped out of bed, threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, then jogged down the stairs. Sleep probably wouldn't make him feel any less tired anyway.

"Morning, Dad. What's cooking?"

"Bacon, eggs, hash browns. Start on the pancakes?"

Stiles nodded and retrieved the box of mix from the cabinet.

"So what are your plans for today?" the Sheriff asked him.

"Going to study at-" he stopped himself from finishing the lie that so easily tumbled from his mouth. The Sheriff turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm going to Derek's," he amended. "To work on this Alpha situation."

"Well then, I guess it's good that I invited Derek and Isaac over here for breakfast." Stiles turned and stared at him with wide eyes. "And Scott," his dad added.

Stiles let out a small groan. "I'm not complaining," he assured. "This is good. We need to get Scott up to speed. But that's also the problem. He doesn't know what's going on, so things are likely to be a little… tense."

_January 10 – Had to tell Danny what's going on. He was asking too many questions and wasn't backing down. I hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the ass._

_January 11 – Scott's fine. He'd gone searching for Allison. Didn't find anything, of course. But he's okay._

Scott usually spent so much time at the Stilinski's, that it was customary for him to enter the house without knocking. It was not customary, however, for him to nearly break the door down, and come in with gold eyes and claws. He hurried to hide them when he realized the Sheriff was there.

"Good morning, Scott," he said, giving him a strange look, but said nothing about the manner in which he chose to enter. He walked by and into the dining room.

Stiles appeared not a moment later, grinning broadly. "Morning."

"I can smell Isaac and Derek," Scott said quietly. "What are they doing here?"

"Waiting for your slow ass so we can start breakfast," Stiles said, then went back into the dining room.

Scott narrowed his eyes. He couldn't think of any reason for them to be here, or for Stiles to be acting like it was a-okay for them to be. Had Stiles completely forgotten that they couldn't be trusted? Or had he just completely lost it?

Slowly, he walked into the dining room, and found Sheriff Stilinski dishing out eggs to the five plates. Isaac and Derek were sitting at the table, waiting patiently, though he could hear a slight rumble from Isaac's stomach.

Scott sat down at the table as the rest of the food was served, and began eating when everyone else did. But he had a suspicious on trained on Derek the whole time, occasionally looking to Stiles, as if so ask what the hell was going on.

"You can take more," the Sheriff said, noticing that Isaac had finished his food and was eyeing the extras sitting in the center of the table. Isaac looked hesitant at first. "Take as much as you like." Isaac quickly reached to take more, while the sheriff turned to Derek. "Are you feeding this boy proper?"

"He is," Isaac quickly answer. "I just… very high metabolism."

"Right, Stiles mentioned that. Eat up."

"So the Lydia situation…" Stiles began.

"Peter has been working on it," Derek said.

"Now let me make sure I've got this right," the Sheriff interrupted. "Peter is your uncle, who killed your sister so he could become the Alpha. Then you killed Peter-"

"We helped," Stiles added. "Sort of, I mean."

"My son helped murder someone. Yes, that will help me sleep at night."

"I said helped! It was mostly Derek."

"I don't think that's helping," Derek said.

"No. But then Lydia brought him back to life?"

"Yeah," Stiles said. "But we're not exactly sure how. We don't know what she is-"

"What the hell is going on?!" Scott finally asked. "Why are you being so friendly with these two, and why does your dad know what's going on?!"

"Well, that lasted longer than I expected," Stiles said. He turned to Scott. "Your memories have been altered. All of ours have, yours, mine, Isaac's."

Even after explaining everything they could to Scott, he was still angry and suspicious. It was proving to be much more difficult to convince him than it had been for Isaac. Following quite a lot of arguing, he had stormed out of the house and didn't return.

"I don't think he want to believe it," Stiles told Derek as they carried the dishes into the kitchen to be cleaned. "It was easy for me. I had my own face telling me that everything was a lie. Isaac wants to believe that he's got a family. But Scott… he doesn't want to hear that Allison is missing and that everything he thinks is a lie."

"You'll get through to him," Derek said. "It'll just take a little longer."

Stiles turned to him after dunking the plates in the sink. "Have you always been like this? Because I don't remember."

"Like what?"

"Nice. In fact, I distinctly remember you being a dick most of the time."

Derek shrugged. "Maybe it's true every lonely monster needs a companion."

Stiles stared at him for a long moment, then a smile started to form.

"What?" Derek asked.

"I want to kiss you so bad right now."

"Hmm. Maybe when your father isn't in the next room."

Stiles grinned.

_January 15 – Danny is still with Ethan, but now that he knows what's really going on, we can use that to our advantage. He says they're planning something, but he doesn't know what._

_I'm worried._

_January 16 – Peter has gone off to search for something to help Lydia. I thought about asking what leads he could possibly have now that he didn't have a month ago, but I think the truth is probably a million times more disturbing than anything I can imagine._

"Alright boys," Sheriff Stilinski said coming down the stairs in his uniform a few hours later. Stiles, Isaac and Derek were sitting at the dining room table, which was now covered in research rather than food. "I'm headed out. There's pizza in the freezer when you get hungry. Try to stay out of trouble."

"Be careful, dad," Stiles said.

"Always," he said, reaching around the chair to give him a hug and a kiss to the top of his head. He reached out to ruffle Isaac's hair, too. He could swear he heard the boy purr, but, no, it was probably just his imagination.

_January 17 – Scott got a call from Deaton today. It was weird and vague and utterly unhelpful. But it means he's alive, and that he probably knows something. Scott seems to think that we can trust him, but I'm not so sure. If he's been fine all this time, why has he been dodging our calls? Why has he been hiding when he could have been helping us?_

"Maybe we should check out Deaton's office again," Stiles said. "There has got to be something we've missed."

"I'll go," Isaac said. "I'll check his house too."

_January 18 – Scott got a message from Chris today. Just said that he and Allison are okay, making slow progress through a bunch of old hunter contacts._

_None of us believe it. It's been too long since we've heard from them. They're not okay. The Alphas got them. They're planning something big, and it's going down soon._

_January 19 – Peter's contacts, sketchy as they may be, have a lead on Erica and Boyd. I won't lie. I'm scared. Not of what we won't find, but of what we will._

"What happened?" Stiles asked when he finally reached the end of the journal. "It was obviously a trap, but what happened?"

"The four of us followed the lead to an old warehouse in Pemberley. There was nothing there except a bunch of wolves waiting for us. They knocked me out and wiped your memories. The last thing I remember before waking up in my car was Deucalion saying-"

"'Troublesome pack. Let's see how well you do when you can't remember your family'," Stiles said.

"You remember. How?"

"I don't know. I didn't, until just now. Maybe he wanted me to?"

"Or maybe your memories are coming back? We've always thought the memories were still there, just suppressed."

"Maybe." Stiles didn't think that was the case but kept it to himself. He agreed that the memories had probably been blocked, not taken, but he didn't think that unlocking them was going to be an easy process that could happen by chance.

They sat in silence for a while longer, as they looked through the journals and research they had compiled, hoping there was something they had missed the previous dozen times.

"What about Danny?" Stiles asked. "He doesn't remember, does he?"

"No. They had brought him to the warehouse that night. Tied him up and wiped his memories with the rest of you."

Stiles nodded, then slammed his head into the desk.

"Stiles-"

"I don't know what to do. We're just a bunch of kids and we don't even have a full pack. Until Scott comes around, it's just the three of us, and even if he does, we'll never have a shot without the others. And then there's Danny, who… is he even really pack?"

"Yes. Unless the Alphas can bring him fully to their side."

"He's pack. And he's our friend. So we have to help him. But I have no idea what is considered help in this case. If we let him stay clueless, the Alphas will get him. If we tell him what's going on, we're putting him in danger of another brainwipe. It's already taking its toll on Isaac and me, and they've only got us twice. They've got him four times, I can't imagine what that's doing to his head. It can't be good."

He looked at Derek, who was entirely too quiet and without opinion.

"We've had this conversation already, haven't we?" Stiles asked. Derek nodded. Stiles groaned and slammed his head into the table. "This is so frustrating!" He got up and began pacing. "I can't remember half of the last 8 months! I can't remember what we've already talked about. How many of the problems in my head have I already solved and just don't remember!?" His breathing was speeding up and he got more and more worked up over the situation. "Scott's not listening to reason, Lydia's in a coma, Allison's missing, what the hell are we supposed to do? And how many more times is this going to happen before they decide they're done having fun with us and just kill us?"

Derek stood up calmly and put his hands on Stiles' shoulders to stop his pacing. He was almost gasping for breath now, and his whole body was shaking. He surprised Stiles' by wrapping his arms around him and whispering a soft "shhhh" in his ear. He carefully put a hand on the bare skin of his neck and dragged some of the anxiety out of him.

They stood like that for several minutes, until he could feel Stiles' heart rate back down and his breathing normalize.

"Thank you," Stiles whispered, not showing any sign of letting go. Derek pulled away just enough to kiss him, then pulled back into an embrace.

"I don't have panic attacks very often anymore," Stiles said after a moment. "How many times have you seen me get like that?"

"This is the fourth. How did you know?"

"For most people, the first time they realize what's happening, they say things like 'calm down' and 'it's okay'. Which is, like, the exact opposite of comforting. But not you."

They're still hugging a few moments later when Scott walked in.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Stiles said, finally letting go of Derek. "What's up?"

Scott took a deep breath. "I remember Allison going away for the winter. I mean, I remember that she left, but I don't actually remember her leaving. And I remember texting her all break, but when I look at my phone, none of the messages are there. There aren't _any_ messages older than a week. So… I'm starting to think that maybe you're right."

Stiles let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"I still don't trust _him_ though," he said, sending a glare at Derek.

"And I'm pretty sure you never did."

"Looks what I found rummaging around the vet's," Isaac said, entering the house with none other than Peter Hale in tow. He smiled mischievously.

"What were you doing?" Derek asked.

"I found a cure."

"A cure…" Stiles said.

"For the lovely Lydia, and our suspicious friend."

"You found a cure? What is it?"

Peter hands him a fistful of pages torn from a book. They were yellowing and had a few stains. The tight script was in Latin.

"We can prepare the potion, but, unfortunately, it has to be administered by someone with no magical ability. Which means not a werewolf. And probably not Stiles."

"I don't have any magical powers-"

"None that you remember. You're no Lydia, of course, but you have exhibited magical possibility and it seems better than we not risk it, don't you think?"

"My mom can do it," Scott said. "But only once Stiles has verified that you're not full of shit."

"My Latin is a little rusty, it'll take me a few hours to translate this," Stiles said. "In the meantime, we can gather the ingredients." Peter pulled several jars of herbs from his coat pockets. He must have snatched them from Deaton's. "Right. Well, I'm not comfortable putting all those together until I'm sure that it's actually something that's going to help Lydia."

"I don't wish to harm her. After all, she's the one who saved me."

"And she wasn't exactly a willing participant in that, was she?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do your translations. Call me when you're ready to save your friend."

_January 26 – We'd told Scott what's going on. He didn't believe it at first, but he's coming around. We'll talk to Danny tomorrow._

_Peter thinks he found a potion to help Lydia. So far, my translation is matching his, but we have to be sure. Honestly, I don't think he would try to hurt her. In some sick, twisted way, he does seem to actually care about her. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't try to manipulate her._

_It's only been a day, so it hasn't exactly had time to backfire on my ass, but it feels so much better now that dad knows. I hope he's okay coming home to the pack sleeping on his living room floor._

Stiles looked around the room. He was propped against the couch, with Derek to his left, having fallen asleep in a similar position. Isaac was curled up on his right, pressed against him. He hadn't said anything, but Stiles knew; physical contact made the headaches hurt a little less, helped the distrust between them fade. Scott was stretched out on the couch behind him, snoring. Peter was sitting in the armchair, reading whatever book he'd pulled from the shelf.

It was past midnight when Peter slammed the book closed, perhaps annoyed by the ending, and stood up. "Tea?" he asked.

Stiles nodded. He wondered how many nights had been like this before. How many nights they'd spent searching before sleep finally caught them.

He looked down at his translation. Most of it so far was a history of the "Patient Death", but he had to make sure it was the right thing. All signs agreed that this was, in fact, Lydia's ailment. The next step would be to make sure that the cure was, in fact, a cure, and 100% safe for everyone involved.

A sweet aroma began to fill the room, making his mind just alert enough to continue his efforts.

Twenty minutes later, he reached the end of the passage and reread the last few lines.

"Shit," he said under his breath. Only then did he realize that Peter had never brought him his tea. He carefully untangled him from Derek and Isaac and tiptoed into the kitchen. On the table were the dozen jars from Deaton's office. All of them empty. "Shit shit shit. Derek," he called, walking back into the living room. "Scott! Guys, wake up."

Scott grumbled and threw his pillow as Stiles, who immediately threw it back. "Whaaaat?"

"Wake up!"

"What's going on?" Isaac asked, rubbing his eyes.

"We've got a problem," he said, picking up his notes.

"You finished the translation?" Derek asked.

"Yes, and Peter snuck off with the potion. If my translation is right, we need to get to the hospital like… now." The three of them jumped up and raced out to Stiles' Jeep.

"What does the translation say?" Scott asked while Stiles started the engine. Isaac and Derek squeezed into the back. "Is my mom in danger?"

"No, but Peter did lie to us." He tried to read the pages while pulling out of the driveway. Isaac snatched the papers away from him. "Read the last couple lines."

Isaac quickly scanned the translation, then read aloud, "_While any magical creature can enact the cure, it is most powerful from a werewolf with whom the victim is bonded_. Bonded?"

"Lydia isn't bonded to Peter though," Scott said.

"Actually, I think she might be," Derek said.

"And if I'm interpreting this correctly," Stiles said. "This cure is going to solidify that bond."

"Took you boys long enough," Peter said when they rushed into Lydia's hospital room. "I'm sure by now Stiles has finished the translation and has told you that Lydia is in no danger. She should be waking up any minutes now."

"In no danger? She's bonded to you now. That sounds like danger to me," Scott said.

Before anyone could say anything more, Melissa McCall walked in. "What are you all doing here? It's the middle of the night. Scott?"

Scott and Stiles looked to one another.

"No! Every time you look at each other like that, it means you're coming up with a lie to tell me. I want the truth."

They shrugged simultaneously. There really was no use in lying to her at this point.

"Alright," he nodded.

"Good. Now the rest of you, _out_."

They obediently filed out of the room.

"So you know how no one has been able to figure out what's wrong with Lydia?"

"Yes," she said slowly.

"Well, that's because it's not a natural illness. It's something a werewolf did to her."

"What do you mean? I thought you and Isaac and Derek where the only werewolves in town. Are you saying one of you did this to her?"

"No. Of course not. Peter is one of us also, but it wasn't him either. There's another pack in town-"

He was interrupted by Lydia sitting up and gasping.

"I promise you Mrs. McCall," Lydia said. "I'm feeling okay. I mean, I'm confused and disoriented and I would like to know what the hell is going on, but I feel okay."

"Right, well, apparently my son has some idea of what is happening, but I can't let him in until morning. And I want your doctor to see you first. Right now, you should just get some rest."

"I've been asleep for almost two months."

"I know. But your body has been fighting that whole time, so I'm sure you're more tired than you realize." She hung the chart on the end of the bed and headed toward the door. "If you need anything, just let me know."

Lydia made a humph and fell back into her pillow.

"She seems to be doing remarkable well for someone who's been in a coma," Melissa said to her son and his pack. "I can't let you in to see her until morning-" Scott and Stiles made a simultaneous sound of protest. "No buts. Go home, get some sleep. And I expect an explanation for all of this – whatever this is – in the morning."

"Yes mom."

"Go home."

Stiles couldn't sit still. He paced the living room, while Scott, Derek, Isaac, and Peter sat around the living room in varying states of rest.

"Can you sit down," Derek asked.

"Seriously, I can't sleep with you like this," Isaac said.

"I can't sit still. Not until I know that _his_ stupid bond to Lydia isn't going to get her killed. Or worse."

"She'll be okay," Derek said.

"You can't know that!"

Derek reached out and grabbed his hands as he passed, pulling him onto the couch next to him. "Fine, maybe she's not going to be okay, but you jittering around the room isn't making morning come any faster. So _please stop moving._"

Stiles took a deep breath and tried to relax. Derek let go of his arms, and Stiles settled into the couch next to him, his mind still moving three hundred miles a minute.

"Finally," Isaac said, climbing on the couch next to him and curling up to go back to sleep.

"I should head home," Scott said. "Mom will be pissed if she gets back and I'm not-"

The doorbell rang and Stiles jumped off the couch, sending Isaac tumbling to the ground.

When he opened the door, he was not expecting who he found on the other side.

"Danny? It's, like, 2 in the morning."

"And you don't look like you were sleeping. Can I come in?"

Stiles opened his mouth, then closed it again and stepped aside to let him in. Danny looked around the living room when he entered, but if he was surprised to find the other there, he didn't show it.

"You're all werewolves," he said. "Not you," he said to Stiles. "But the rest of you. Right?"

They all looked at one another, slightly confused.

"Please just tell me I'm right so I can stop thinking I'm crazy."

"Yeah, you're right," Scott nodded.

"Do you remember?" Derek asked.

"Um… sort of? I know that they've taken my memories in the past, and I'm starting to remember things from that past month or so."

"How is that possible?" Isaac asked. "We're trying to remember and we can't. But it's just coming back to you?"

"They've only gotten you twice, right?" Danny asked. They nodded. "I think it's like a drug or something. I'm starting to develop a tolerance for it. It's not sticking right anymore."

"You'd think they would know about a weakness like that," Stiles said.

"Not necessarily," Scott said, shaking his head. "I don't think they usually have to put up with as much resistance as we have given them. They've probably never had to change someone's memories 4 times."

A gear started turning in Stiles' head. Why did they keep changing their memories? Why not just kill them when they proved to be too much of a nuisance?

"This is good," Scott said. "They won't expect us to be back together yet. Last time it took us months. This time we maybe we can figure out what they're up to before they even realize we're working on it."

"Have you heard anything about the others?" Stiles asked.

"Nothing about Erica and Boyd."

"But you're heard about Allison?" Scott asked, jumping up.

"Calm down," he said. "It's not what you're expecting. They don't know what happened to Allison or her father."

"You mean… they don't have them?"

Danny shook his head.

"Well that's…" Stiles said. "Well, no, that's not really good news, is it. But it's not really bad news either, right."

_January 27 – Lydia is awake, and it looks like she's gonna be okay. We can't talk to her until morning._

_Danny is starting to remember, even without –_

Derek snatched the pen and journal from Stiles' hands and put them on the end table. "Go to sleep," he said. He wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a lying position on the couch. There really wasn't room for the two of them, but Stiles was too tired, and too comfortable to care. He didn't even care that this is how his dad would find them when he got home from work.

When he woke up, Derek was still sleeping on the couch behind him, his arms wrapped around Stiles' center. Isaac was on the ground against the couch, clutching Stiles' hand. Someone had thrown a couple of blankets over them in the night, which must have been his dad. He was coherent enough now to thank his lucky stars that he hadn't thrown a fit.

He found himself trying to detangle his limbs from Derek and Isaac once again, and wondered briefly if this is what being part of a wolf pack was always like.

When he walked into the kitchen, his dad was sitting at the dining table sipping his coffee. "Morning, dad."

"Morning, Stiles," he said over his morning paper. "You and your friends seemed rather cozy this morning."

"Wolves are surprisingly affectionate monsters. Speaking of monsters, do you know where Peter disappeared to?"

"No. He was here?"

Stiles nodded. "He figured out how to help Lydia. That's what we were working on most of last night."

"Oh, Melissa called. She said you boys can drop by to visit Lydia after school."

School. Right. Everything had been so hectic the last few days, he'd actually managed to forget that school was still a thing. He glanced at the clock. Still over 45 minutes before he had to leave.

"I'm gonna make some breakfast. You want anything?"

The Sheriff shook his head. "I already ate." He paused for a moment while Stiles began rummaging through the cabinets. "So, can we talk about you and Derek Hale." Stiles dropped a box of flour on his foot. "Hey! I'm not judging. I just want you to be careful."

Stiles turned and stared, his mouth slack with surprise. "That is… not at all what I was expecting your reaction to be."

The Sheriff chuckled. "A few months ago it might have been different. But the young man I had breakfast with yesterday is not the same as the one I had in my jail cell a year and a half ago. You're good for him."

"Yeah, he is pretty lost without me."

"I still want you to be careful though. He's a lot older than you."

"I know dad. Thanks."

"Good morning, Lydia," Peter said.

"Peter." She narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might like to have a few of your things. To keep yourself busy while you are forced to be locked in here." He handed her the colorful bag he had slung over his shoulder. She opened it and found her laptop and two books.

"Oh thank god," she said, sliding the laptop out.

"I also brought you breakfast," he said, handing her a brown bag from the local bakery. "I know how terrible hospital food can be."

She peeled it open, the rolled it closed a moment later. "Bagels are fattening."

"Perhaps. But they're also delicious." He sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs while she powered on her laptop.

"Why are you being so nice?" she asked him.

He made a show of looking offended. "I'm always nice."

"You're a murderous raving lunatic," she said.

"Reformed."

"Stiles called me to warn me about you."

"Warn you? What about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I saved your life, now you've saved mine. We're even now, right? Which means you're free to get back to you scheming and manipulating and not feel like you own me anything."

"I may be a reformed murderous raving manipulative lunatic, but I assure you I have no intention of harming you, or anyone else in this pack."

"I'm afraid I'll need more than just your word to go on. Now, if you don't mind, I have two month's worth of email to check."

Peter looked for a moment like he wanted to protest, but instead nodded and left the room.

Stiles and Scott made a point of not talking to Isaac or Danny all day at school. They glared at each other in class and in the halls, and come lunch time, Stiles and Scott sat by themselves, Danny sat with Ethan, and Isaac was nowhere to be seen.

_I don't like this_. Scott scribbled on a sheet of paper.

_Me neither._ Stiles wrote. He started to add more, but put the pen down when his phone buzzed.

Lydia: _Why hasn't Allison been responding to my texts?_

"Oh my god," Stiles said in a whisper, hitting himself.

"What is it?"

Stiles passed him his phone.

"You didn't tell her?"

Stiles picked up the pen and began writing again, worried that one of the twins might have been listening. _I haven't had the chance. I was going to fill her in after school._

He takes the phone back and sends a quick response.

_Allison is missing. I'll explain in person._

Lydia didn't want to wait for Stiles to come by after school, she needed to know what was going on now. And that need led her to do something that she would probably later regret.

_Are you busy?_ She typed into her phone and hit send.

The response was almost immediate.

Peter: _Missing me already?_

She rolled her eyes. _I need some questions answered._

Peter: _I'll be there in 15._

Fifteen minutes later, almost exactly, Peter knocked on her open door and walked in.

"You didn't have to get all dressed up for me," he said with a smirk.

She glared at him. It was true she had done her hair and makeup when he'd brought her bag that morning, but she was still wearing her hospital gown, which was pretty high on the list of least flattering attire, right up there with Lady Gaga's meat dress. And she certainly hadn't 'dressed up' for him.

"No need to be hostile," he said, making himself comfortable in one of the chairs. "What can I do for you."

"First: what happened to Allison?"

"About a week after you came to the hospital, Chris got a hold of some contacts who claimed to have information about the Alpha pack. He and Allison left to meet them."

"But I'm guessing they were lying?"

"We actually have no idea. We haven't heard from them since a few days after they left. We thought the Alphas had found them, but Danny's heard that they're just as curious about what happened as we are."

Lydia closed her laptop. "It sounds like a lot has happened. Tell me everything."

When school got out, Stiles and Scott raced to the parking lot and Stiles drove to the hospital as fast as he knew he could get away with. When they reached Lydia's room, they found her surprisingly not alone.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Scott asked.

"Helping a friend."

"I asked him to come," Lydia said, not looking up from her laptop. "I needed someone to answer some questions."

"And you trust _him_?" Stiles asked.

"Of course I don't trust him," she snapped. "But while you two were fooling around at school, we've been learning some very useful information." She used the buttons on her bed to turn her TV on, and only then do the others realize that she's connected her computer to it. On the screen there is an email with a video from Allison, dated Thursday, December 5.

"_Hey Lydia,_" Allison said. "_I know it will probably be a while before you get this, what with you being in a coma and all. We have to leave some kind of trace, but it's better if no one knows what we're doing for a while._

"_Dad and I met up with our contact this morning. He actually knows quite a bit about the Alphas… more than we expected. We've learned a lot, but there's still things we need to take care of._

"_Which is why we're going into hiding. I'm going to send an email once a week, just in case something bad does happen to us, there will be some record._

"_Dad's friend, if you can call him that, may have some info about what made you sick, so I'm hoping it will be around January by the time you see this. When you find this, keep it to yourself for a while, until we know it's safe. I know Scott will be going crazy, but you can't even tell him._"

The video ends.

"So she's okay?" Scott asked, letting out a relieved sigh that he'd been holding in for 2 months.

Lydia clicked through the emails and opened another video. This one was dated a week later, Thursday, December 12.

"_Hey Lydia. I can't tell you where we are, but I can tell you where we've been. We started off in Nevada, then Arizona, then Missouri. We've met a few other hunters. Most of them don't know anything._

"_I don't have anything to report in this one, just wanted to say we're okay._

"_Allison out._"

Lydia started the next one. Thursday, December 19.

"_Hey Lydia. We were just in Lawrence, Kansas. There were rumors about a seer who live there. Well, we found her, and she was the real thing, but she had more to tell us about ourselves than about the Alphas. A few hunters in Texas had a little more to share._

"_I still don't have anything worth telling. Hopefully soon._

"_Allison out._"

Saturday, December 28. This time the video is of Chris, not Allison.

"_Hello Lydia. We ran into a bit of trouble this week. We are both fine, but Allison was worried that you would fear the worst if you are somehow awake._

"_Chris out._"

Saturday, January 4. It was Allison again.

"_Hey Lydia. Sorry if we gave you a bit of a scare last week. I was in the hospital when dad made the video. Look, I have a fancy new cast that makes it really difficult to shoot an arrow. _

"_In case you're wondering, rugarus are pretty much the worst._

"_Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we're still kicking, and that we're getting close. We should have something in the next week or two._

"_Allison out."_

Saturday, January 11.

"_Hey Lydia. I actually have a little bit of info to share today. I'm pretty sure you're not awake yet, if these hunters know what you're talking about. They don't have a cure, but they know of one, and it sounds complicated._

"_But that's not what I wanted to tell you about._

"_The Alphas are in Beacon Hills for a reason. I mean, of course we knew that, but it's not like we thought. It's not just to destroy our pack. If it were that, they would have gotten it over with by now. They're waiting for… something. I don't know what. And whatever it is, they need the pack alive when the time comes._

"_Allison out._"

"I knew it!" Stiles said. "I knew there must have been some reason they wiped our memories when we got too close, instead of just killing us."

"More fun to watch you suffer?" Peter offered.

"Hush, both of you," Lydia said, playing the next video.

Saturday, January 18. When Allison spoke, her voice was urgent and rushed.

"_Hi Lydia. I know you're not awake, but I'm sending this anyway because we've just figured it out and I think it's important that you know immediately once you do wake up. The reason they took you out was because of your power. I mean, of course we knew that. They'd never be able to take your memories because you're immune, but more than that, you're the only one that can restore memories that had been taken by an Alpha. I don't know how yet, but if anyone can figure it out, it's you._

"_Allison out._"

Friday, January 24.

"_Hey Lydia. I suspect, if you're seeing this, you've just woken up._

"_Dad and I found the cure two days ago. We had to get it translated to be sure, but it's the real deal. Obviously. We got a hold of Peter, who should be back in Beacon Hills in two days. Which means you should be awake and watching all this by Monday or Tuesday-_" The video distorted and turned to static for almost three minutes.

"What's happening? Why did it do that?" Scott asked, worried.

"It was intentional," Peter said as Lydia opened a different file.

"It was encrypted, not corrupted," she said. "I was able to dig out the underlying message."

"_Here's what we know: We've all been wondering how a pack of alphas can exist. Now we know, it was formed by Deucalion, as suspected. But it's not like other packs. He didn't turn them, and they weren't born into the pack. They were taken from their own packs. Or, rather, their packs were taken from them. There's some kind of ritual that allows Deucalion to have control over them. And that's why he's here. To take the alpha of the Beacon Hills pack._

_The ritual requires a sacrifice of the rest of the pack. They're going to kill us and work some magic juju, and then Derek will be under his control. They're waiting for the right celestial alignment, which comes in a little less than two weeks. Dad and I will be back soon, but you all need to start getting ready now._

"_Allison out._"

The conclusion of the video left Scott and Stiles speechless.

"Get ready," Stiles repeated. "How exactly does she propose we do that?"

Everyone was quiet, no one quite sure how to answer.

"I know why they tried so hard to keep us separated," Scott said finally, though not answering the question. "Because as long as we're divided into two packs, there's two alphas. He would get Derek _and_ me. So They want us as two packs because we're weaker, and it means he'll be stronger once he gets us. So we'll start there. We have to fix this pack, _really_ fix it. We have to be one."

"We need our memories back," Stiles said, turning to Lydia.

"Actually, we've already started on that," Peter said with a wry smile.

"He found a book of spells," Lydia said. "Deaton's had what we needed this whole time. I just finished translating it before you guys got there. There are two parts to the ritual, a potion and a spell. Stiles, I need you and Peter to start gathering the ingredients, while Scott talks his mom into getting me out of here."

"I know what you're trying to do to her," Stiles said as he and Peter walked out of the hospital. "And if you hurt her again, I'll make sure your death is slow, and painful."

"I thought you were over this little schoolboy crush on her."

"I am," Stiles said, almost surprising himself. Yes, he was over her, but he didn't actually remember the point in time where that had happened. It must have been something from the periods where his memory was gone, but he was certain that he _was_ over her. "But she's still my friend, and if you hurt her-"

"Slow, painful death, yes, I remember."

They managed to find most of the ingredients on the list in Deaton's office, but the last two things were nowhere to be found, nor had Stiles ever heard of them.

Peter, however, had kept a stash of herbs under one of the floorboards of the old Hale home, which is how they found themselves, along with Derek, Isaac, and Danny, sitting in the burned down house, mashing leaves and spices in a mortar, while they waited for Lydia and Scott.

"They're here," Isaac said, hearing the car pull up long before Danny and Stiles could.

"I told you, I'm just fine!" Lydia exclaimed as they walked up to the house. She was batting her hands at Scott, who was trying to help her up the steps, despite the fact that she didn't seem to actually need help.

"But you shouldn't be fine," Scott said. "You should hardly be able to move, let alone walk."

"Yes, well, clearly I am walking, so you can stop fussing."

Scott let out an exasperated sound and followed her into the house.

Lydia hummed as she looked around the room. "The amount of testosterone in this room is so high, and yet, you're all still wearing shirts. How disappointing." She turned to Stiles, who was sitting with the mortar and pestle in his hands. "That doesn't look like you've ground it to a fine powder to me." Stiles looked down and immediately started to work into it further. "Good." She turned to Isaac, who was stirring a golden liquid in a small cauldron. "How's my potion coming along."

"Almost ready," he said. "Anybody else feel like Harry Potter?"

"Well, clearly I'm Hermione," Lydia said. "After she got hot, I mean." She watched them work for a moment, before being overcome with dizziness. The only thing that stopped her from hitting the ground was Peter's quick reflexes. He caught her easily and carried her to one of the more sturdy armchairs.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Danny asked, as they all watched her with worry.

"I'm fine," she snapped. "Just a little weak. But I'm fine."

"I think this is done," Isaac said.

Lydia moved to stand up, which proved to be more of a feat than anticipated. She grabbed onto Peter's arm to steady herself. He helped her cross the room so she could check the potion. "Good," she said. "Fill the glasses at least halfway." She turned to Stiles, slowed partially by her own fatigue, but also by Peter's feet. "What about you?" Stiles held up the mortar. "Perfect." She took it and dumped the blue powder into her hands. "Now you four are going to need to drink those."

Scott, Isaac, Stiles, and Danny looked down at their glasses. The potion that was once bright orange was now sickly purple. They all frowned in disgust.

"Do you want your memories back or not?" she asked, snapping the fingers on her free hand. "Drink up."

All four boys, still frowning, chugged the liquid down as quickly as they could. They started gagging almost immediately, but finished them off before dropping their glasses.

"That was awful," Danny said, still making faces.

"Please never make us do that again," Isaac said.

"Don't get your memories tampered with again and you won't have to," Lydia told them. "Derek, step away." He did as instructed, and she held the blue powder to her lips, then blew.

The boys blinked in confusion as the powder settled over them, then promptly fell to the ground, unconscious.

Lydia detached herself from Peter and lowered herself to the ground by Stiles'. She put her hands on either side of his head and closed her eyes.

"How long is this going to take?" Peter asked.

"Several hours," she said. "Longer if you keep talking to me."

"Right. As exciting as that sounds, I think I'll find something to entertain myself in town."

"Try not to do anything stupid or evil," Lydia said.

"Do I ever?"

"Always," Derek and Lydia deadpanned in unison.

Peter rolled his eyes and walked out of the house.

Half an hour later, Lydia was still sitting by Stiles, her palms still on his temples. Derek was watching her closely, and knew what was going to happen before she fell to her side, still conscious, but only just.

"I think it's time for you to take a break," he said, lifting her and carrying her to a chair.

"No," she mumbled. "I'm fine."

"You can start again in a few minutes," he said.

She stopped struggling and relaxed into her chair. She seemed to wake up fully within a few minutes, but didn't immediately get back to work. They sat in silence until she asked "what do you know about wolf bonds?"

"A bit. What do you want to know?"

"What is... what's it going to do to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm starting to trust him!"

Derek was quiet for what felt like a long time. So long that Lydia started to wonder if she'd even said anything to him at all.

"Bonds don't create blind faith," he finally said. "The connection it creates…" he paused, unsure how it could be explained it words. Bonds were complicated and emotional. When his parents had tried to teach him about it, he didn't understand. Words could not do it justice. "It creates knowledge. It lets you see what is true."

"That's why it was so easy for Stiles to break out of the brainwashing," she said. "Because he knew that he could trust you."

"Yes. If you trust him, it's not because the bond forced you to. It's because, on some level, you know what's going on in his mind."

"So if Peter was doing something to get us hurt, I would know?"

"Yes and no. You wouldn't know what, just that he wasn't being honest." He looked at her. "You're the only person in the world who can see inside his head. That's a powerful position."

"Can it be broken?"

Derek pondered the question. "Not easily. But yes. If you nurture the bond, it will become stronger. You'll be able to see into each other's minds easier. If you ignore it, keep distant, it will fade."

She nodded slowly., then stood up suddenly. "That's a problem for another day. Right now we have some memories to save and Alphas to stop."

When Stiles woke up, his head was pounding and his throat was dry and scratchy.

"Stiles," Derek said, coming into view. "How do you feel?"

"Ow," he choked as he tried to sit up. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands to his face.

"The headache should subside in an hour or so," Lydia said as she moved to Scott.

"Ow," he said again as Derek helped him into a sitting position. Slowly, he opened his eyes and smiled. He threw his arms around Derek and hugged him tightly. "I remember," he whispered.

"Of course you remember," Lydia snapped. "I'm a genius."

When Scott woke up, he handled the headache only slightly better than Stiles had.

They were both sitting in silence, nursing their own headaches, when Isaac eventually came to. He was silent for several minutes while Lydia worked on Danny. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. He sounded lost.

"She's dead."

The others looked up at him and Lydia stopped what she was doing.

"Erica is dead," he clarified. "That's what they took from me." He hung his head in his hands as Derek, Stiles, and Scott moved close to comfort him.

It was nearly sunrise when Danny at last woke up.

"Oww," he groaned, clutching his head as Scott and Isaac helped him sit up.

"They really did a number on you. A lot worse than the others. It's gonna hurt. I'd love to offer you some painkillers, but it's not going to help."

"Awesome," he said, groaning again.

At that moment, Stiles' phone began ringing, filling the room with an obnoxiously upbeat song.

"Owww."

"Sorry, Danny," Stiles said with a wince, digging the phone out of his pocket to silence it. "Hey dad," he answered, walking out of the house. "Sorry, I meant to call-"

"_Stiles, I know you've got a lot going on, but do I need to remind you that it was a school night?_"

"I know dad, I-" he stopped, hearing something moving in the trees. His mind started racing, and Derek was at his side in an instant. _I heard something_, Stiles mouthed. Derek nodded and began scanning the tree line, but did not leave Stiles' side. Into the phone, Stiles said "I was working on a history thing with Scott and I fell asleep."

"_Is that a lie?_"

"Maybe."

His dad sighed. "_Have a good day at school. Stay safe, kid_."

"I love you too, dad."

"_And I expect to see you at home for dinner._"

"Absolutely." With that, he hung up and turned to Derek.

"I don't smell anything," he said quietly. "But that doesn't mean anything." The Alphas were notoriously good at masking their scent.

"Go back inside. Get Danny and Lydia out of here."

"I'm not leaving."

"Stiles, you'll be safer-"

"Bullshit."

"He's right," Scott said, stepping onto the porch, followed by Isaac, Lydia, and Danny. Stiles opened his mouth to protest, before realizing that Scott wasn't talking to him. "We're stronger if we stick together."

"But Danny-"

"Danny will be fine," Danny said.

"Separating ourselves hasn't gotten us anywhere," Scott said, his eyes glowing. "It's what they want."

"Let them see what we're really made of," Isaac said.

There was only one Alpha in the woods around the Hale house, but it took all three wolves to take him down.

"You're up to no good again," Aiden said as the humans tied him down with wolfsbane chains. "Deucalion won't be pleased."

"He certainly won't be once he sees what we've got for him next," Lydia said, flipping through Deaton's spellbook. She stopped near the back of the book and began to read aloud. A few Latin words jumped out at Stiles as she did, but the structure made no sense to him.

"What's happening?" Isaac asked as Aiden thrashed around, clearly in pain. Lydia ignored him and kept reading. Aiden made a choking sound, then stilled.

Scott moved just close enough to take his pulse, then looked up at the others in shock. "He's dead."

"Hmm." Lydia looked down at her book. "That's unexpected."

"What were you trying to do?" Derek asked.

"Left the spell that binds him to Deucalion. It shouldn't have killed him though-" She swayed a little and blinked several times, dizzy.

"Lydia? Are you okay?" Stiles asked.

"I'm-" she touched her hand to her nose. When she drew it away there was blood. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Stiles could not focus in class that day. Lydia was back in the hospital, still unconscious, last he heard, and there was a dead body lying at the Hale house. He wondered who would find it first, the Alphas or the sheriff's department. Between that, and wondering if the Argents would make it back in time, if they would all survive the impending battle, he couldn't stop moving. He was driving his teachers crazy, tapping his pen on the desks and his feet on the ground.

"Mr. Stilinski," Harris snapped. "Are you completely incapable of sitting still."

"Yes," he said, still tapping.

"Then do us all a favor and go sit in the principal's office until the bell rings."

Stiles didn't really think that sounded like fun, but if it meant getting out of this room, he'd go along. He grabbed his bag and practically sprinted out.

He knew he was supposed to go to the principal, but at that point, he really didn't care about rules. He might be dead next week anyway, right? Instead he wandered through the halls toward the parking lot. He'd go check on Lydia in the hospital.

He didn't expect to find Ethan pushing Danny against the lockers. At first, Stiles thought it was in a threatening manner, but quickly realized it was not. What with the grinding and the kissing. He stared at them for a moment, half hiding around the corner, before Ethan turned to look right at him. He tried to duck away, but it was too late.

"You're a little spying spy, aren't you?" Ethan said, stepping towards him. "Did you want to join the fun?"

Stiles threw up his hands in surrender. "Iwasn't- I was just heading to the parking lot. Didn't mean to interrupt."

Ethan slammed him into the lockers.

"Ow," Stiles groaned as Ethan took a long sniff of him.

"I can smell that _mutt_ all over you," he whispered in his ear. His whole body was pressed against him, putting him in much the same position that Danny had been in."I wonder what he would think if he knew you were looking at other boys." He licked along Stiles' clavicle. Stiles flinched, but could not move away to avoid the unwanted contact. Ethan laughed, then bit at Stiles' lips.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and the rush of students bought enough distraction for Stiles to slip away. Ethan didn't go after him.

When Stiles got home, he was surprised to find Derek and Isaac sitting in his living room.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

Derek narrowed his eyes at him, his nose twitching. "You smell weird."

"What?"

"You smell weird. What is that?"

"You smell like Ethan," Isaac said.

"How did you know that?" Stiles asked.

He shrugged. "It's what Danny always smells like."

"Why do you smell like Ethan?" Derek asked, standing up.

"Do you promise not to freak out if I tell you?"

"Did he hurt you?"

"No. Not exactly."

Derek's eyes flared red.

"I said don't freak out! I'm fine. He just… kissed me."

"He what?!"

"Believe me, I'm just as outraged as you. Probably moreso. In fact, I would like to go upstairs and wash the taste out my mouth." He started toward the stairs. Derek moved right behind him. "He just did it to get a rise out of you. He wanted you to react," Stiles said as he started brushing his teeth. "Don't give him the satisfaction."

Derek looked positively livid while Stiles brushed his teeth, but he counted it as a blessing that he was still standing there and hadn't gone off to try to kill Ethan.

The moment he was done rinsing his mouth and turned around, Derek tore Stiles shirt off and started kissing him.

"Hey! What- mmm." Stiles groaned as Derek rubbed against him. "What- are- you- doing?"

"He got his scent all over you," Derek said, nipping at his collar bone. "I intend to get rid of it," he said, unbuttoning Stiles pants.

"While that sound very nice, Isaac is downstairs and my dad will be home soon." His breathing was heavy and his body was completely ignoring what his mouth was saying.

"Isaac's already gone and your dad won't be home for hours."

"Hmmm, okay," he said with a smile as he lead Derek backwards toward the bed.

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Isaac said when he passed Danny on the sidewalk.

"What?"

"They're having sex."

"Oh. Well. I guess I'll just go… do some chemistry homework or something." He turned to walk back towards his house.

"Hey," Isaac called after him. "Wait."

"Yeah?"

"It's stupid, in the scheme of things, but…" Isaac bit his lip. "I'm doing kind of terribly in chemistry. Do you think you could…"

Danny smiled and nodded. "Come on. I'll teach you."

Scott didn't particularly want to tell his mom what was going on. Sure, she knew about wolves and everything, but he hated telling her what was actually going on with that side of his life. But he'd made a promise when Lydia was in the hospital, and know that they knew what was really going on… maybe she'd be safer if she knew the truth.

"I hate this," she said when he finished explaining. Dinner was on the table, but neither had eaten more than a few bites. "You're 17. You're supposed to be chasing girls and hating math, not fighting for your life."

"I know. I don't like it either."

"What if we just left?" she asked.

"What?"

"What if you and I just got up and left Beacon Hills and didn't look back?"

"We can't."

"Says who?"

"Says me," Scott said. "I'm not leaving my friends here to die. The pack is weak enough as it is, if I leave they don't stand a chance."

"But you would be safe."

"And live the rest of my life knowing that maybe they would have been okay if I didn't run away like a coward? No way."

Melissa sighed. "I know. It was a long shot. But I want you to do one thing for me."

"What?"

"Whenever this big showdown happens? I want to be involved."

"Bu-"

"No. I'm the mom, I should be the one protecting you, not the other way around. I don't care if you have supernatural powers. Lydia and Allison and Stiles are human, and they still fight with you, don't they?"

"Lydia is a witch and Allison has hunter training. And Stiles frequently get's injured."

"Well then you'll need someone with medical training."

Scott tried to argue, but he knew from experience it wouldn't pay off, in the end. He'd just given in, agreed to include her in everything that happened from here on out, when there was a knock at the door. For a moment, Scott was confused. But then he broke into a grin and ran t answer it.

"Allison," he said, throwing the door open. She stood grinning on the other side, then leapt into his arms. He kissed her lips, then her nose, then her forehead and her eyelids. She giggled as he kept kissing her. "I've missed you." He kissed her again.

"I've missed you too."

"Hello Allison," Melissa said, walking into the foyer. "Welcome back."

"Hi Melissa," she said over Scott's shoulder.

"I'm heading up to bed," she told them. "You kids have fun. Not too much fun."

Scott grinned and buried his face in Allison's hair.

"You're awake," Peter said, entering Lydia's hospital room.

"You were expecting otherwise?"

"Yes, actually."

"And what exactly were you planning to do in a sleeping girl's room? Steal my innocence?"

"I was under the impression you had none left."

"Hmm. You might be right. Too bad."

"I don't know. Maybe I found something better to steal."

"If you're thinking of taking me from this hospital, I completely agree."

"You have somewhere to be?"

"I do, actually."

"Have fun at school," the Sheriff told his son as Stiles walked out the front door.

"Oh yeah, tons of fun."

He was in his jeep, pulling out of the driveway, when his dad walked out of the house calling his name.

"What?" Stiles asked, stopping the car.

"I just got a call from Chris. I'm calling you in sick."

Stiles was confused, but didn't argue. He pulled the jeep back into the driveway and climbed out as his dad called the school.

"What's going on?" he asked when he hung up.

"I don't know," his dad said. "But he said it's something big. They're on their way over now."

Not twenty minutes later the Argents pulled into the driveway.

"We have a major problem," Chris said. "Where is Derek?"

"He's on his way," Stiles said. "What's going on?"

"It's Lydia," Allison said.

"We found several people who have encountered the Alpha pack," Chris explained when Derek and Isaac arrived a few minutes later. "None of them knew very much, but they were all able to tell us something, and we put the pieces together. We also found several written records about them."

"The pack has been around for over three hundred years," Allison said. "At first we thought leadership was passed down over time, but we realized that it's actually been Deucalion the whole time. Part of the power he gets from having control over so many Alphas is immortality. Or, something close to it."

"What does this have to do with Lydia?" Stiles asked.

"We found several old books with stories about the 'Sightless King'," Chris said. "However, they are in old languages and needed to be translated, and stories weren't exactly our priority. We only just finished translating this one last night."

Allison picked up the book and began to read. "_Our witch was cursed by the Sightless King and his monsters. She does not wake._"

"That's what happened to Lydia," Scott said.

Allison held up her hand and continued reading. "_We have survived ten weeks without our witch. We are lucky to have survived one._ _But now the curse has been lifted and we are safe once more."_ She paused briefly. "_We thought the curse was to get rid of her, to keep her from protecting us. Now we know. The curse lasts, even after she wakes. The curse is not the sleep, that is merely a side effect, the curse is what comes after. The sleep prepared her, it changed her to fit their needs. When she first woke, it seemed our prayers had been answered. Our protector had been returned to us. But it was not long before she turned on us, joined the wolves against us. She is not our witch anymore, she is theirs. They have poisoned her."_

"You think this is what they did to Lydia?" Derek asked.

"Yes," Chris said.

Stiles jumped out of his seat. "We have to get to the hospital."

"That's just it," Allison said. "Lydia's not at the hospital."

"If she has given them the information we have gathered, which we must assume she has, or is going to very soon, they will be expecting our attack in a few days. If we want to catch them by surprise, we must act now."

"I'll call Melissa to get Scott out of school," Stiles said, reaching for his phone.

"I'll go find Peter," Isaac said, looking less than pleased.

Derek stood up, but gave no indication of where he was going.

"Derek?" Stiles asked.

"I'm going to leave a dead twin on Deucalion's doorstep," he said, his eyes an angry red.

"Derek, don't be stupid-"

"I'm getting sick of him putting his dirty hands all over my pack," he snarled, snatching his arm away from Stiles' grasp.

Stiles wanted to say something that would calm him, but he didn't think there were enough words in the English language to do it. He let out a defeated sigh and Derek sprinted away from the house.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chris asked as the Sheriff retrieved his shotgun from it's lockbox.

"We're about to go kick some werewolf asses, aren't we?"

"You are under no obligation to help us."

"Listen here. If you think I'm going to let me son fight these bastards without me, you're delusional. Would you let Allison?"

Chris thought about it, then conceded. "You'll want these then," he said, handing him a box of ammo. "Wolfsbane packs a hell of a lot more punch."

"I can't believe you thought you could get away with not calling me," Danny said when he walked into the Stilinski house after the McCalls.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you," Stiles said, not at all shamed by his attempt to not include him.

"Bullshit. I'm pack. I'm fighting with you."

"Good," Stiles said, patting him on the back. "But if you get killed, I will not be held responsible."

"If I get killed, you'll probably be dead too."

"Doubtful."

"Oh, come on. I'm way more badass than you," Danny said.

"It's true, he is," Peter said, squeezing into the house.

"Can I kill him?" Stiles asked. "Does anyone actually care if I kill him?"

"Yes," Derek said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. "You can kill him if we survive this."

"How did Deucalion like his present?" Stiles asked.

"I didn't stick around long enough to find out."

Stiles frowned. "That's not like you. Were you actually, dare I say it, being careful?"

"So it would seem."

There was an old warehouse on 49th that the Beacon Hills pack had been avoiding for weeks, knowing it was one of the Alphas' frequent haunts. But tonight it was the only place on their mind.

"Mom, you're not a fighter," Scott said, staying behind at the car while the others walked toward the warehouse. "You're a nurse, and that's great, but right now you shouldn't be here with us. I can't focus on this fight if I'm constantly worried that you're in danger. Please just… just take the car and drive home. Please."

"You're right," she said. "I'm a nurse. But I'm a kickass nurse and I'm staying."

Derek, Scott, and Chris walked in the front door, not altogether surprised to find Deucalion waiting for them.

"May I presume that you're the ones to thank for the little gift I received?" he asked. "Dear Ethan was distraught. Briefly. What he did not realize, nor did you, was that Aiden was not, in fact, dead. Just resting. I assume by now you've been made aware of the newest addition to my pack?"

Lydia stepped out of the darkness and joined at his side.

"She is rather lovely, isn't she? And very powerful. So much better than my last witch."

Scott and Derek lunged at Deucalion, transforming. Chris had his rifled trained on Lydia, but did not fire. He wouldn't hurt her, not until he had no other choice.

Deucalion quickly overpowered the wolves.

"You are weak, Derek. You do not know how to lead your pack. You let them argue and sway your decisions. You would be much stronger if you made them see your word as law. And Scott. You are no better. You let them walk all over you."

"If we're so weak," Scott said, coughing up a bit of blood. "Why did you want us?"

"Because I can shape you into greatness. It is unfortunate that you allowed your packs to be combined. Unfortunate for you, Scott, because now you will have to die with your friends. And here they are now." He turned to his Alphas as they dragged the barely conscious remains of the Beacon Hills pack before him. "You brought humans into this fight. Very foolish." He paused and counted the people on his floor. "But someone is missing. A wolf. Where is he?"

"Right here," Peter said, walking into view, waving a hand. "Hello, Lydia darling. Deucalion."

"You knew," Derek accused. "You knew what she was going to do?"

"She told me what she was planning? No."

"But you knew."

Peter shrugged.

"Now, you," Deucalion said. "_You_ were a good alpha. I wish I could take you."

"Hmm, you're not really my type."

"Boys," Deucalion said, turning to his alphas. "Tie them up. Kali, get the alter ready."

None of them moved.

"Now!" he said. Still they did not move.

Kali was the first to start coughing, but the other quickly followed suit. It was only moments before they were on the ground, gasping for breath.

"What is happening? What have you done?!"

"You are the fool, Deucalion," Lydia said.

"You?" he asked in shock. "You betrayed me? But how?"

"You underestimate me. Maybe your last witch was easily bent to your will, but my bond to him, to this pack, is so much stronger than anything you can do it me."

"What did you do?" he asked again as he alphas died around him. He fell to his knees.

"Aiden was not alive. It was an illusion. I poisoned him, and he infected them. Your power comes from them, doesn't it? You're nothing without them. Without them you're dead."

It was Deucalion's turn to start coughing up blood. It took longer for him to die. He lay on the ground convulsing for minutes, blood trickling from his eyes, nose, and ears, before he finally stopped moving.

"Is he dead?" Isaac asked, not daring to move any closer than he already was.

Lydia collapsed to the ground.

"So, dad," Stiles said as they walked out of the warehouse. "Have you given any thought to how we're gonna cover this one up?"

"I don't even want to think about it right now," the Sheriff said, clutching his bruised ribs.

They were in varying states of disarray, but none of them was so badly injured that they couldn't walk. Even Lydia, who had been unconscious for several minutes, only needed to lean some of her weight on Peter.

"No more magic for a while, okay?" he said. "It's taken a lot out of you."

"Sounds fair," she agreed. She looked up at him with a strange feeling in her stomach.

She never felt a rush with Jackson. She wanted desperately to love him, to feel the way for him that Allison felt for Scott. But it never happened. He was never enough for her.

She knew this thing with Peter was weird and twisted. But it gave her that rush. Part of her thought that it was all because of the somewhat forced bond between them. But it didn't matter to her were the feeling were coming from, it didn't make them any less real.

Feelings were more than memories anyway, right?

* * *

When I started writing this, I thought it would be around 3,000 words, something I could get done in one night. As I wrote, it got longer and longer. I hit 3,000 and realized I wasn't going to be finished soon. I kept surprising myself with how long it had gotten. Now it's finished and I still have no idea how I managed two write over 15,000 in under three days.

I also wasn't expecting the Lydia/Peter thing to happen. That one just found it's way in and I went with it.

As of right now, I'm really happy with how this turned out (we'll see how I feel about it in a week though :) ).

Reviews make me happy, but they aren't necessary. Thanks for reading!


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